PETA Pleads With Feds: Shut Down Ringling

Photo by Katie Sokoler/Gothamist

With the self-proclaimed "Greatest Show On Earth" just in town—and even serving as the latest muse on Project Runway—PETA is piping up again about animal treatment at the Ringling Bros. circus. Last year the group released a video showing workers beating on the circus's elephants, and now they're asking the feds 'em down. More specifically, they're asking that their animal exhibitor license, up for renewal on the 28th, not be renewed.

According to the Daily News, PETA's Jeff Kerr said in a letter delivered to the Department of Agriculture today: "They've lied, they've tampered with evidence and they've thwarted the inspectors."

Their efforts in the past have done little to institute change, but they hope that with their 700 pages of documents, videos and photos they'll be able to package their plea more completely this time around. Another PETA higher up said, "This is the first time we've taken all the evidence and put it together to show that this is not just one bad trainer, having one bad day, with one bad elephant. This is chronic and systemic."

Those patterns—highlighted last year in this video (also posted below)—include breaking animals with whips, electric prods and sharp metal hooks.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on April 12, 2010 4:16 PM

Comments [rss]

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Kingpin, just because I comment on this blog doesn't mean I am not active in the movement. You know nothing about this city. Why don't you blog on londonist.

Kingpin

What does knowing (or not knowing) anything about New York have to do with you constantly bitching online?

Nothing.

Stop trying to get the users of Gothamist to do your bidding, it's not that they support animal cruelty, they're indifferent to you, your calls to action and PETA in general because of how rediculous you and the organisation are.

You give people who seriously campaign for animal rights a bad image.

And I know plenty about New York, thank you very much. Why don't you blog on Petalovers.net?

Kingpin

They never seem to realise that if they devoted a iota of the time they spend complaining about inhumane treatment on Gothamist on actually campainging and other offline activities, they might actually get something done.

PETA's followers on Gothamist are a bunch of whiney posers. All talk and no action.

Amanda Harletsch

wtf are you talking about!?

Speculations to poop at people's comments?

That's not whiney, that is brutish all the way!

You have done something truly significant!: A half ass comment stuffed with pure contempt. Bravo!

ridgeside

Well I should have known all the freaks, geeks, and worthless be the first to comment. Don't you guys have a protest somewhere tonight?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Ringling Brothes abuses elephants and corrupts our youth Dont expose your children to ignorance and cruelty.

Amanda Harletsch

this business of exploiting animals for ultra bleak entertainment should die. This circusshit is pathetic

Eric

Animals shouldn't be used for our entertainment. You want to have a circus, that's cool, shoot your clowns out of a cannon and have a guy in spandex walking a rope 30 feet in the air, but leave the animals out of it. Nothing good or useful comes from it.

Ed

This is not right.... I watch this show as a kid and now I feel, they should all get arrested for doing such cruelty to the elephant who are harmless... BOO! :(